RATHER (=QUANTITY)

Good morning everyone and happy Friday. Welcome back to the Daily Vitamin.

Yesterday we answered a request about rather and we learned one main use of this word: would rather indicates what you would prefer to do in a situation. Today we will look at a second common use of rather.

Use 2: to indicate quantity --> more than a little but less than very.

It is used as an adverb to modify other adverbs or adjectives. When we use rather with today's meaning, it means 'unusually' or 'surprisingly'. Synonyms: quite -- pretty -- fairly

Example 1: It's rather hot today. I think I'll wear shorts and a T-shirt. (= It's quite hot. It's pretty hot. It's fairly hot.)

Example 2: The cat is behaving rather strangely. Maybe we should take it to the veterinary.

Example 3: Mr. Jenson was rather friendly when he came to work this morning. Perhaps he has received some good news. (= How surprising! Mr. Jenson was friendly this morning. He usually isn't.)

As usual, to get some writing practice, I encourage you to write a sentence (or two) with rather. You can post your sentence on one of our social media sites (Facebook or Bluesky) and we will give you feedback about your writing ASAP.

Have a lovely weekend and we'll be back on Monday with another lesson.

All the best!